South Asian women in Canada twice as likely to report unfair treatment at workplace, says study

Canada is certainly a land of opportunities considering the influx of people migrating to the country in search of their dream jobs. But all is not that pink for the South Asian women. A latest survey reveals that more than half (57 per cent) of South Asian women are planning to leave their jobs for other opportunities. (Also read: Women work more, earn less, and face greater health risks)

The misery doesn’t stop there. The study conducted by CulturaliQ in partnership with Pink Attitude has noted that South Asian women are twice as likely to report unfair treatment in the workplace: 34 per cent compared to the 17 per cent average of all females surveyed and 20 per for all the men surveyed.

Given the fact that South Asian women constitute the largest female immigrant labour force and the highest educated as per 2016 Census, the situation is not at all encouraging.

“The findings are significant considering that over the next five years 100 per cent of Canada’s labour force growth will be from immigration. Especially given that in 2018 newcomers from South Asia and the Philippines comprised almost 39 per cent of all newcomers in Canada (Immigration Refugees, and Citizenship Canada),” the report said.

The survey said that pandemic has exacerbated challenges facing South Asian women, with 47 per cent considering leaving the workforce altogether due to the pandemic – compared to the 25 per cent for women and 32 per cent for men in general.

In what reflects the woes of the South Asian women in Canada, as many as 58 per cent participants revealed empty promises made by work managers about their career progression, compared to the 46.5 per cent of all females surveyed, and almost double when compared to non-racialized women (37 per cent).

Furthermore, 65 per cent would rather leave their job than wait in vain for those empty promises to come into fruition.

The study also revealed the resilience of South Asian women, who remain committed to professional growth.

“71 per cent feel there is room for upward mobility and 66 per cent currently feel empowered in the workplace, the highest percentages of any female ethnic group and even higher than the 63 per cent average among all men surveyed,” the study said.

Ruby Dhillon, CEO and Founder of Pink Attitude Evolution stated that the findings tell a story of a workforce of systemic barriers and negative perceptions in the workplace, not only when compared to non-racialized women, but also when compared to other racialized Canadian women.

John Stevenson, Founding Partner, CulturaliQ added, “We have been keenly aware of the ongoing underutilization of South Asian women in the Canadian workplace. The first step in developing a support plan is to understand the reasons for these statistics then we can go on to demonstrate how incredibly important and valuable this asset is to the current Canadian economy.”